Catch My Breath
by A. D. Martin
Summary: Sequel to Behind Closed Doors. Takes place 5 years after Buffy & Angelus get married. Something happens that turns their world upside down and shakes the foundation of their marriage.
1. Introduction

**A/N:** This is the sequel of Behind Closed Doors. The first chapter, Introduction, is a short chapter giving the readers a brief history of what has happened in the past 5 years.

* * *

**Introduction**

It had been five years since I had given birth to Aidan and had married Angelus.

Aidan was growing up quickly which Angelus and I hated. Now, he was in kindergarten at Sunnydale Academy. Angelus and I had a great marriage most of the time. We had our ups and downs, but we always found a way to work through it.

Many things in my life had changed in the past five years. I went to UC Sunnydale and got a degree in business administration while Angelus started a company called Connor Enterprises that specialized in a little bit everything. After I graduated from college, I started working at the company with him.

I still had to slay vampires and demons, but since I had married Angelus, many of them had backed off because they were terrified of him.

It was difficult to juggle being a working mother and slaying the bad guys, but I found a way to make it work with the help of my family and friends.


	2. Body & Soul

**Body & Soul**

When I walked into Angelus' office, I saw Giles and Angelus in a deep conversation with looks of concern on their faces.

"What's wrong?" I questioned.

"Giles found information on my stalker," Angelus answered.

"Who is she?" I wondered.

"She is a witch named Kyra who wants to seek vengeance against Angelus for murdering her mother before you became involved with him," Giles replied.

"That was six years ago," I pointed out. "Why would she want to seek vengeance now?"

"When her mother was murdered, she was just a teenager who had no idea about witchcraft. Now, she has grown into powers and wants Angelus to pay," Giles explained.

I sighed, "We have to find a way to stop her without killing her."

"I am working on it. I am trying to find a spell to strip her of her powers, so she cannot hurt anyone, especially Aidan and you," Giles informed me.

I glanced at the clock and said, "Aidan gets out of school in 30 minutes, so I need to go and get him."

"I will be home in an hour. I love you," Angelus said.

"I love you too," I responded before I walked out the door.

* * *

When Angelus came home, Aidan ran in his direction yelling, "Daddy!"

Angelus picked Aidan up and said, "Hey Buddy. How was school?"

"It was awesome!" Aidan exclaimed. "There is a new girl at school and she is hot."

Angelus chuckled, "How do you know what hot means?"

"Since you call Mommy hot all the time, I asked Uncle Xander what it meant. He said that it meant that Mommy was pretty," Aidan explained.

I laughed at Aidan's explanation and asked, "Aidan, have you finished your homework?"

Aidan shook his head, "No. Not yet."

"Go and finish your homework while your mother and I talk and cook dinner for you," Angelus said putting Aidan on the floor.

"Ok, Daddy," Aidan replied going into the family room to finish his homework.

"Giles, Wesley, and I are still searching for a spell to strip the witch of her powers," Angelus informed me.

"You need to hurry. She could something before it's too late," I said with concern.

"Babe, please do not worry," Angelus pleaded. "We will find the spell and strip her powers."

"I hope you're right," I responded as I started to cook dinner.

* * *

During the middle of the night, I was awakened by the sound of Angelus screaming out in pain. I saw Angelus sitting up in the bed gasping for breath.

I sat up in the bed and asked, "Angelus, what's wrong?"

Angelus finally stopped gasping for breath and looked into my eyes with a confused expression on his face, "Buffy."

As I gazed into his brown eyes, I noticed that something was different about him. Something had changed. Then, I realized that the man in my bed was not Angelus.

"Angel," I whispered with shock.

* * *

**A/N:** Angel's back! Please read and review.


	3. The Fall Out

**The Fall Out**

After I managed to calm down Angel, I called Giles who rushed over to the house.

"Hello Buffy, Angelus," Giles greeted us. "What the matter?"

"He is not Angelus anymore," I replied pointing at Angel. "This is Angel."

"Buffy, calm down and explain to me what happened," Giles said.

"I woke up in the middle of the night because I heard Angelus screaming in pain and gasping for breath. I asked him what was wrong and he just looked at me. Then, I realized that it was not Angelus. It was Angel," I explained.

"The witch must have cursed him with a soul again," Giles replied. "Angel, what is the last thing that you remember?"

"It was Buffy's birthday and we were at my apartment," Angel replied.

"He has no memories of the last six years," I said with surprise.

"Six years? That is how long that Angelus has been out?" Angel questioned in a panicked tone.

"Calm down. Everything will be fine. I will explain everything to you later," I assured Angel.

"I should do research. I will see you in a few hours," Giles said walking towards the door.

"Let me know if you find out anything," I called out to Giles before he left the house.

"Buffy, what the hell is going on?" Angel asked with confusion.

"I will explain everything later after you have rested," I replied leading him into the bedroom.

* * *

After Angel had fallen asleep, I went for a walk in the yard to calm down and catch my breath because I was freaking out. I had no idea how I was going to explain this situation to Angel. Plus, I had to worry about Aidan because I did not know how Angel would react to him.

When I managed to calm myself down, I went back inside the house and waited for the sun to rise. After the sun had risen, I called Wesley to inform him of the situation with Angel and ask him to take over our responsibilities at Connor Enterprises for a few days.

Wesley Wyndham-Pryce was the executive at Connor Enterprises. He was meant to become a watcher, but he chose not to take the path. Instead, Wesley decided to join the cooperate world. He was perfect for the job of executive at Connor Enterprises because he had a great deal of knowledge about business and supernatural matters. He understood that there were times that he needed to step up in the company when Angelus and I had to deal with supernatural stuff.

After I got off the phone with Wesley, I called my mother. I explained the situation with Angel to her and asked her if she would pick up Aidan from school and let him spend the night with her. My mother was thrilled that Aidan was going to spend the night with her because she loved to spend time with him.

Once I hung up the phone, I glanced at the clock and realized that it was time for Aidan to wake up to get ready for school.

I sat down on the side of Aidan's bed and said, "Aidan, it's time to wake up for school."

Aidan started to stir and rubbed his eyes.

"Good morning," I said.

"Good morning, Mommy," Aidan replied sitting up in the bed. "Where's Daddy?"

"Daddy is still asleep. He doesn't feel good today, so he won't be able to see you this morning," I explained picking out Aidan's clothes.

"I hope he feels better," Aidan said sweetly.

I pecked him on the cheek and said, "I do too. You need to get ready for school while I fix your breakfast."

* * *

When I returned to the house, I found Angel standing in the family room looking around with confusion.

"Hey," I greeted him putting my purse on the coffee table.

"Why I am up so early and why I am not burning alive? I usually do not wake up until the sun sets," Angelus pointed out.

"You're wearing the Gem of Amoura. It's a ring that allows vampires to walk into the sun," I said pointing at his finger. "After I got it for you a few years ago, you started sleeping at night, so we would be on the same schedule."

"Oh, where did you go?" Angelus wondered.

"I had some errands to run," I replied.

"Buffy, please explain to me what has been going on for last six years," Angel pleaded sitting down on the sofa.

I took a seat beside Angel and delve into the story, but I paused when I came to the subject of Aidan.

"There has to be more," Angelus said.

I nodded, "There is more. However, you need to let me finish it before you ask any questions. After we broke up, I found out that I was pregnant with your baby. I know that vampires are not supposed to be able to have children, but we did have a son named Aidan Patrick Connor. Six months after I gave birth to Aidan, we got married. Then, I started going to college while you started a company called Connor Enterprises where I work too."

"We have a son," Angel said with surprise.

"Aidan is a five-year-old who is smart and amazing. He is half-human and half-vampire, so he lives off blood and food. He looks exactly like you," I explained.

"Where is he now?" Angelus asked.

"He is at school. He is going to stay at my mom's house tonight, so we can get everything sorted out," I answered.

Angel breathed a sigh of relief, "That's good. I don't want to scare him. Can I see a picture of him?"

I stood up and grabbed a picture of Aidan from the mantle. I handed the picture to Angel and said, "Here is a picture of him."

Angel gazed at the picture with amazement, "He does look just like me."

"I can't wait for you to meet him. He is the most amazing person in the world," I said with pride.

Angel handed the picture of Aidan back to me and wondered, "How did I get my soul back?"

"There is a witch who has a vendetta against Angelus for murdering her mother before he and I became involved with each other," I responded as I put the picture in its place.

"I don't understand why I can't remember the last six years. When my soul was restored last time, I remembered every horrible thing that Angelus did," Angel said with confusion.

"I'm sure that you will remember everything soon. It's just going to take time," I assured him.

At least, I hoped that he would remember soon.


	4. Our Son

**Our Son**

When I woke up on Sunday morning, I went into the guest bedroom where Angel slept. He was looking out of the window into the backyard.

"I'm going to pick up Aidan from my mother's house," I informed him. "Are you ready to meet him?"

Angel nodded nervously, "Yea, but I'm nervous."

"You have no reason to be nervous," I assured him. "I will be back in a little bit."

* * *

After I walked into my mother's house, I called out, "Aidan!"

I heard Aidan running towards me yelling, "Mommy!"

I bent down and opened my arms for him, so he could give me a hug.

"I missed you, Mommy," Aidan said hugging me causing my heart to melt.

I grinned, "I missed you too."

"Does Daddy feel better?" Aidan asked.

"He feels much better," I answered. "He is really excited to see you."

"I can't wait to see him too," Aidan said excitedly.

"Is your stuff ready?" I wondered.

"Here is his backpack and overnight bag," my mother replied handing his backpack and overnight bag to me. "I helped him with his homework, so it's finished."

"Thank you for everything," I said appreciatively.

"You're welcome," my mother replied. "I love spending time with him."

I glanced at the clock on the wall, "I have to go. Angel is waiting. Aidan, give hugs to Nana."

Aidan hugged my mother and said, "I had fun, Nana. I love you."

My mother pecked Aidan on the cheek and said, "I love you too."

* * *

When I walked into the house with Aidan, I saw Angel pacing around the family room.

Aidan spotted Angel and greeted him, "Hey Daddy."

"Hey," Angel replied. "Did you have fun at your nana's house?"

"She took me to the park after school. It was awesome," Aidan said excitedly.

Angel chuckled, "I'm glad you had fun."

"Mommy said that you didn't feel good yesterday, but you feel better now," Aidan informed Angel.

"I feel much better now," Angel responded.

"Are you sure you are better? You're acting strange," Aidan said observantly.

"Aidan, are you hungry?" I asked changing the subject.

"Yea, I could eat a grilled cheese," Aidan answered.

"While you spend time with your daddy, I will go and make lunch for you. I'll be in the kitchen if you need me," I informed them.

* * *

After Aidan finished eating lunch, I could see that he needed a nap, so I tucked him into his bed for a nap.

I sat down on the sofa in the family room and asked, "What do you think about him?"

Angel smiled, "He is amazing. He is really smart."

I nodded in agreement, "I know. He gets that from you."


	5. Out of Whack

**Out of Whack**

After I arrived at work, I knocked on the door to Giles' office.

"Come in," I heard Giles call out.

"Hey," I greeted him as I walked into his office.

"Hello Buffy," Giles replied putting down that he was reading. "I didn't expect you to return to work so soon."

"I was going to wait for a few more days, but things have been so out of whack since Angel came back. I wanted some sibilance of normalcy in my life," I responded.

"How is Angel adjusting?" Giles asked.

"I have no idea," I answered. "He barely speaks to me. He just sits around the house and broods all day."

"He is probably dealing with a great deal of confusion and guilt for everything that has happened since he has been gone. Plus, he had that personality when you started dating him as a teenager," Giles pointed out.

"When I was a teenager, the broody and broken vampire thing that he had going on was hot. Now, I am a grown woman, so it's not hot anymore. It's really depressing. I wish that he would get over it already. Everything is so awkward. I want my husband back," I said sadly.

"Do you want to release his soul?" Giles questioned.

"I do," I admitted. "However, I know that I shouldn't."

* * *

When I finished working, I picked up Aidan from school and went home.

"Hey Daddy," Aidan said as we walked into the house.

"Hey," Angel greeted him. "How was school?"

"It was boring," Aidan replied.

"Do you have homework?" Angel wondered.

Aidan shook his head, "Nope."

"Do you want to go and play in the backyard?" Angel questioned.

"Yea," Aidan answered excitedly.

"You need to go upstairs and change into your play clothes first," I reminded Aidan.

Aidan nodded in understanding, "Ok, Mommy."

Aidan went into his bedroom and changed into his play clothes while Angel and I stood in the family room in silence.

* * *

After Aidan went to sleep, I headed out to the cemetery to patrol. I needed to take out my frustration out on something.

When I came home, I found Angel waiting for me in the family room.

"Why are you still awake?" I asked.

"I wanted to make sure that you made it home," Angel replied.

"That's nice," I said going into the bedroom to change clothes.

Angel followed me into the bedroom and said, "I wanted to talk to you too."

When I took off my shirt, Angel turned in the other direction.

"Angel, what are you doing?" I wondered.

"I'm letting you change," Angel responded.

I rolled my eyes and reminded him, "Angel, we had sex before you lost your soul. You have seen me naked."

"I know, but I wasn't sure how you would feel about me watching you," Angel replied.

"I'm not going to talk to you when you are looking in the other direction," I informed him.

Angel turned around to look at me and swept his eyes over my body, "You look different."

"Of course, I do. I am a grown woman who is a mother," I pointed out.

"You look hot," Angel complimented.

I smirked, "Thanks." I got clothes out of the dresser and asked, "What did you want to talk about?"

"I think that I should start working at Connor Enterprises," Angel said.

"That's a great idea. When do you want to start?" I questioned putting my pajamas on.

"Next week," Angel answered.


	6. Different Buffy

**Different Buffy**

On Monday morning, I knocked on the door of the guest bedroom.

"Come in," Angel called out on the other side of the door.

I opened the door to see Angel in a black suit and said, "You look great."

"I don't like it," Angel said with a frustrated expression on his face.

"You are the one who decided to go back to work," I reminded him.

"I own the company. Why can't I wear what I want?" Angel asked.

"Usually, you can. However, a major client is coming in today, so you have to wear a suit," I replied.

"I know. I looked over the files this weekend," Angel informed me.

"The client is a jackass who likes to flirt with me, but you do not need to lose your temper with him," I warned.

* * *

Unfortunately, Angel did lose his temper with our client when he went too far with the flirting.

I pushed Angel into his office and said angrily, "I warned you not to lose your temper if he flirted with me. Now, we could lose a major client."

"You are my wife! He shouldn't be flirting with you. If Angelus was here, he would have done the same thing," Angelus pointed out.

"That is why I never let Angelus go to a meeting with him unless I was not there," I replied.

"It is personal when he is flirting with my wife," Angel said possessively.

"Now, I'm suddenly your wife. You have been treating me as if I was a complete stranger since you have been back," I informed him before I stormed out of his office.

* * *

Buffy went into her office and closed the door behind her. She leaned up against the door and took a deep breath in order to calm herself down. She actually felt better now that she and Angel got into an argument.

Buffy heard a knock at the door and asked, "What?"

"Buffy, it's Wesley," Wesley said from the other side of the door.

"Come in," Buffy replied.

"Hi," Wesley greeted Buffy coming into the office.

"Hey. I'm sorry that I snapped at you," I apologized. "I thought you were Angel."

"It's understandable for you to be on edge considering your situation. I spoke with the client. He said that he would be willing to do another meeting if Angel is not there," Wesley informed me.

I breathed a sigh of relief, "That's wonderful. When is the meeting scheduled?"

"Next Thursday," Wesley responded.

I nodded in understanding, "Thank you so much, Wes."

"It's no problem," Wesley assured me.

* * *

While I was making dinner for Aidan and me, Angel came home from work.

"Buffy," Angel said.

I put my hand to stop him from talking and said, "Aidan is in the family room doing his homework, so you and I are not going to have this discussion. Now, spend time with him or go in the study and brood."

"I will be in the family room with Aidan," Angel informed me.

I nodded in understanding, "Ok."

"Aidan's asleep," Angel informed me walking down the steps of the basement where I was working out.

"Did you have any trouble?" I asked.

Angel shook his head, "No. He fell asleep quickly. We should talk."

"I have been trying to talk to you for weeks, but the only time that you come out of the study is to spend time with Aidan," I pointed out.

"Buffy, I don't know how to deal with this situation. My life has completely changed in the past six years and I missed all of it. The only thing that has not changed is that you and I are still together," Angel reminded me.

"Angel, the problem is that you act as if you and I were never together. You don't talk to me. You treat me like I'm a stranger. Today at the meeting was the first time that you acted like I was your wife," I informed him.

"I wish you could understand how I feel. I'm trying to adjust to this new life. When my soul was restored, I didn't expect you to be my 24-year-old wife and the mother of my son. I expected you to still be my 17-year-old girlfriend. Plus, you are different from the way you used to be," Angelus said.

"What do you mean?" I questioned.

"You have changed," Angel answered. "The Buffy that I knew would have never been with someone like Angelus. He is the exact opposite of me."

"First of all, I am not the same Buffy. I'm Buffy Connor, not Buffy Summers. After you lose your soul, it was difficult for me and I changed a lot. Secondly, you and Angelus are not as different as you think. Angelus is a part of you. He is inside of you. He is you. You do not exist without the soul, but he does exist with the soul. In order for you to fall in love with me, he had to fall in love with me too. When you lost your soul, the love was still there. Angelus tormented me for months because he loved me, but he stopped fighting it and showed me another side of himself. I eventually fell in love with him," I explained.

"I never thought of it that way. I didn't believe that someone could love a person without a soul," Angel said thoughtfully.

"When you get your memories back, you will see," I assured him. "However, if you don't get your memories back, something is going to have to change."


	7. The Wicked Witch

**The Wicked Witch**

While I was in my office going over paperwork, I heard a knock on the door.

"Come in," I called out putting the paperwork into my desk.

Giles opened the door and walked into my office, "Buffy, we have a problem."

"What is it?" I asked.

"Kyra is becoming more powerful. I believed that she would stop when she got her vengeance against Angelus, but I'm afraid that she has not," Giles answered.

"If you don't find that power stripping spell soon, I'm going to slay that crazy bitch," I warned.

"I don't know if stripping her powers is going to be strong enough to stop her," Giles informed me.

"I hope it is because I don't want to kill her, but I will kill her if there are no other options," I replied.

* * *

"You must be stressed out," Angel observed walking into the basement where I was working out.

"What makes you think that?" I asked.

"You work out when you are stressed out," Angel replied. "What's wrong?"

I stopped hitting the punch bag and said, "The witch, Kyra who restored your soul is growing more powerful. There is a possibility that a power-stripping spell will not work on her if we can find one, so I may have to slay her."

"Buffy, you can't slay her. She is a human," Angel pointed out.

"If she becomes too powerful, she will not be human anymore," I responded.

"I thought Giles had a ton of spells. A power-stripping spell shouldn't be too hard to find," Angel said.

"A demon broke into the library at the high school a few years ago and stole a bunch of books. One of those books had the power-stripping spell. We have been trying to find it for the past two months to stop this witch," I explained.

"I could help," Angel offered.

* * *

While I was in the study, Angel came into the room with a book in his hand.

"What is that?" I questioned pointing at the book.

"It's the book that contains the power-stripping spell," Angel answered.

"How did you get it?" I wondered happily.

"I had to kick a few demons' asses, but I got it," Angel replied.

"I need to call Giles," I said picking up the phone and calling him.

After I got off the phone, I informed Angel, "Giles will be here in an hour."

"What is the deal with Willow and Xander?" Angel asked. "I haven't seen them around."

"Willow is a mega-witch now. She has been studying witchcraft in London for the past year. She is supposed to come back next month. Xander and his ex-vengeance demon fiancée, Anya are traveling around the world," I replied.

"Things have changed. It's hard to adjust to it," Angel said thoughtfully.

"After this situation with Kyra is over, we need to discuss our marriage," I pointed out.

"Yes, we do," Angel agreed.

* * *

When Giles came into the house, he called out, "Buffy."

"We are in the study," I announced.

Giles walked into the study and said, "Hello. Where is the book?"

Angel handed the book to Giles and said, "I think this is what you are looking for."

Giles nodded in agreement flipping through the book, "This is the book that the demon stole from the library with the power-stripping spell. However, we have a problem. The spell is too advanced for me to cast, so I called Willow. She has decided to end her trip in London and come back. She should be here tomorrow night."

"Really? Willow is coming back. Yay!" I said excitedly.

"Buffy, calm down," Angel said. "It's just Willow."

"I haven't seen her in a year," I pointed out. "I missed her."

"Buffy," Willow called out coming into the house.

"Willow!" I said happily pulling her into a hug. "I have missed you so much."

Willow smiled, "I missed you too. How's Aidan?"

"He is great. He went to the zoo with my mom, but he should be back in an hour," I replied.

"I can't wait to see him," Willow said excitedly.

"I didn't tell him that you were coming back because I wanted to surprise him," I informed her. "He is going to be excited to see you."

Willow turned her attention to Angel and said, "Hey Angel. Welcome back."

Angel smiled, "Hey Willow. It's good to see you. I heard you were a witch now."

"I'm also a lesbian," Willow said bluntly.

Angel's eyes widened in surprise and he said, "I have no idea what to say to that. Umm…good for you."

Willow and I laughed at his reaction.

"Anyways, let's discuss Kyra," Willow said changing the subject.

Giles began to inform Willow of our situation with Kyra.

* * *

An hour later, I heard the front door open and knew that it was my mother bringing Aidan home.

"Mommy! Daddy!" Aidan called out.

"We're in the kitchen, Buddy," Angel replied.

Aidan walked into the kitchen with my mother following behind him. When Aidan spotted Willow, a look of surprise and excitement appeared on his face.

Aidan ran up Willow who bent down to hug him.

"Aunt Willow, you're back," Aidan said excitedly.

"Yea, I am. You haven't gotten so big," Willow pointed out.

"Duh!" Aidan responded. "I was like four the last time you saw me."

Willow chuckled, "It's good to see you, Little Man."

"Hello Willow," my mother greeted her with a grin.

Willow smiled, "Hey Joyce."

"How was London?" My mother asked.

"It was great," Willow replied.

"Well, I need to get home. I have to get up early in the morning," my mother informed us.

Aidan walked over to my mother and hugged her leg, "Bye, Nana. I love you."

"I love you too," my mother said rubbing his head.

I got out of my chair and said, "Mom, I need to talk to you in the study for a minute."

My mother nodded in understanding and followed me into the study.

"I'm sorry to ask you. Can you keep Aidan tomorrow night? We want to resolve the situation with the witch tomorrow night," I explained.

"Absolutely," my mother replied happily.

"Thank you so much," I said gratefully.

"You're welcome," my mother said pecking me on the cheek. "I have to go."

Willow, Angel, Giles, and I went into the basement to summon Kyra because she was impossible to find.

Kyra appeared in the basement, looked at us, and asked, "How the hell did I get here?"

"Summoning spell," Willow responded.

Willow threw a purple vial of potion at Kyra and started quoting the spell. However, Kyra used her power to cause Willow to stop talking and gasp for breath.

When Kyra spotted Angel and turned her attention to him releasing Willow, she yelled angrily, "You! You killed my mother."

"It wasn't me. I didn't have a soul when it happened," Angel defended himself.

"Now, you have one, so you can pay for what you have done," Kyra pointed out throwing Angel across the room.

"I'm sorry for killing your mother," Angel apologized.

"It's too late for apologies," Kyra said with fiery as she started saying a spell.

"Get away from him!" I screamed kicking her across the room into a wall knocking her unconscious.

Giles pulled out another vial of the potion and threw it at Kyra. Willow began saying the spell in a foreign language until she was finished.

"Did it work?" I questioned.

"We will find out when Kyra wakes up," Giles answered.

"Angel, are you alright?" I asked.

"I'm fine," Angel replied.

I heard Kyra groan which meant that she was waking up. When she saw us, Kyra moved her hand as if she was trying to use her powers of telekinesis, but it did not work.

"What happened to my powers?" Kyra questioned with panic.

"I stripped them," Willow responded. "You do not use magic to hurt other people. You use it to help people. Now, get out of this house and leave Angel alone."


	8. Array of Emotions

**Array of Emotions**

"This week is Aidan's last week of school. Then, he is out for the summer. I thought about putting him in the daycare center at Connor Enterprises, so he can be around other kids in his age group and be close to us," I informed Angel.

"That's fine with me, Babe," Angel agreed.

Babe was Angelus' pet name for me. I had never heard Angel call me 'Babe.'

"You just called me Babe," I pointed out.

"So…what does that mean?" Angel wondered.

"Angelus called me that," I replied.

"Oh," Angel said simply.

Since the night that we faced off with Kyra, Angel had been acting strange. I wanted to know what the hell was going on with him, but I did not know if he would tell me anything. He had become so unpredictable lately.

* * *

Before I went to work, I called Willow to see if she was awake because I wanted to talk to her about Angel's new attitude.

"Hey Willow," I said walking into her new apartment. "This place is great."

Willow smiled, "Thanks. You wanted to talk to me about Angel."

"He has been acting strange since the night we faced off with Kyra in the basement," I informed him. "Could have anything to do with the spell that Kyra tried to cast on him?"

"I don't know what type of spell it was, but I remember it. I can do some research and find out what it is. However, there is a possibility that it is a spell that she made up, so we might not find out anything," Willow warned me.

"Just do what you can," I replied.

As I walked into Angel's office, I informed him, "We have a meeting with Nicholas Lawrence this afternoon, so we need to go over the details."

Angel rolled his eyes and said frustratingly, "I can't stand that fucker. He never shuts the fuck up."

I was surprised by his colorful language because I had rarely heard Angel curse. Angelus cursed like a sailor, but Angel never did.

"Don't lose your temper with him or I will kick your ass," I threatened.

"I haven't had a good ass-kicking from you in a long time," Angel said with a smirk surprising me again.

"I doubt you would want one. I have become stronger since I have gotten older," I pointed out.

"I think I can take it," Angel challenged still smirking.

"Are you flirting with me?" I asked.

Angel shrugged, "Maybe."

After Angel and I went over the details of my meeting, I went into my office to call Willow.

"Hello," Willow said picking up the phone.

"Hey Wills. Did you find anything out about that spell that Kyra casted?" I asked.

"No, I haven't," Willow answered.

"Angel is freaking me out. He flirted with me," I informed her.

Willow chuckled, "He is your husband. I thought husbands flirt with their wives."

"Angel has not flirted with me since he has been back," I replied.

"I will keep looking," Willow assured me.

"Thanks," I said before I hung up the phone.

* * *

While I was preparing dinner for Aidan and me, I felt Angel staring at me.

"Why are you staring at me?" I asked Angel without looking up at him.

"I'm just admiring how natural you are in the kitchen," Angel answered. "I remember when you couldn't even cook eggs."

"I was taught well," I replied as I continued to cut potatoes.

Angel came up behind me and put his hands on my waist causing my heart rate to accelerate. Angel and I had not been this close to each other in years.

"You're cutting the potatoes too big," Angel whispered taking the knife from me and cutting the potatoes into smaller chunks.

"You don't even know what I'm making," I pointed out.

"You are making pot roast with creamed potatoes, carrots, and rolls. Your favorite meal," Angel said knowingly.

"How did you know that is what I was making?" I wondered watching him cut the potatoes in front of me.

"You put a pot roast in the crock pot this morning," Angel reminded me putting the knife in my hand and stepping away from me.

I rinsed the potatoes with water and put them into the pot of boiling water.

"You have been acting differently lately," I observed.

Angel nodded in agreement, "I know."

"You have been an array of emotions. I have seen you angry, happy, and flirty," I explained.

"I flirted with you today because I miss us," Angel admitted.

Before I could respond, Aidan came into the kitchen and asked, "Mommy, is dinner ready? I'm hungry."


	9. Date Night

When I walked into the house, I saw Angel sitting on the sofa in the family room reading the newspaper.

I took a seat beside him and said, "Aidan is spending the night at Willow's apartment."

"That's good because you and I are going on a date tonight," Angel informed me folding the newspaper and putting it on the coffee table.

"Are you serious?" I asked.

Angel nodded, "Yes, I am. You need to be ready by eight o' clock which means you have two hours to get ready. Dress casually."

"I should start getting ready," I said getting off the sofa and heading into my bedroom to get ready.

* * *

While I was getting ready, I started to become nervous because Angel and I had not been on a date in a long time. However, I managed to calm myself down and finish getting ready.

"I'm ready for our date," I announced walking into the family room where Angel was waiting for me.

"You look great," Angel complimented taking in my appearance.

I smiled, "Thank you."

"You're welcome. Let's go," Angel said grabbing the car keys and leading me out of the front door.

"You brought us to the Bronze," I said as Angel pulled into the empty parking lot of the Bronze.

"That's where all this started. We met in the alley behind the Bronze," Angel reminded me.

"Why is no one here? It's Friday night," I pointed out.

"I asked the owner to shut it down for us," Angel informed me getting out of the car and opening the door for me.

After I got out of the car, Angel took my hand and led me into the Bronze. When we walked into the Bronze, I looked around to see that it had changed.

"This place looks difference since the last time I came here," I said taking in the new décor.

"How long has it been since you have been here?" Angel asked.

"I haven't been here since before I graduate college," I answered. "What's do we do first?"

"First, you get to eat because I heard your stomach growling in the car," Angel replied.

I breathed a sigh of relief, "I'm starving. What's for dinner?"

"You are having a steak cooked medium rare, fully loaded baked potato, and Texas toast," Angel responded.

"Mmm…that sounds yummy," I said rubbing my stomach.

Angel walked me over to the table and pulled my chair out for me to sit down. I took a seat in the chair and smelled the food sitting in front of me.

"Dig in," Angel said sitting down in the chair across from me.

I cut up my steak, fix my baked potato, and started eating the delicious food.

"How did you know that I like my steak cooked medium rare? When you were around, I liked my steak cooked well done," I pointed out.

"You liked steak cooked rare when you were pregnant with Aidan," Angel reminded me.

I looked at him with surprise because Angel was not there during my pregnancy with Aidan. "How do you know that?" I asked curiously.

"I honestly don't know," Angel replied.

"You have been taking on aspects of Angelus' personality quite a bit lately," I pointed out.

"I assume that it is memory traces, but I haven't had any memories," Angel said.

"Maybe you should consider getting Willow to cast a spell to restore your memories," I suggested.

Angel shook her head, "No, I would prefer to remember on my own. Plus, magic can be tricky."

"That's true," I agreed finishing my dinner.

Angel got up from his chair and held out his hand for me, "Dance with me."

"There is no music playing," I replied.

Suddenly, music started to play throughout the room.

"Now, there is," Angel pointed out.

After I took his head, Angel led me out to the dance floor. As we danced, Angel and I gazed into each other's eyes. I began to feel those old sparks return.

"Do you feel that?" Angel asked.

"Yea, I do," I answered. "It's been a long time."

Angel stopped dancing and put his hand on my cheek. After he pulled his lips to mine, I deepened the kiss. However, reason caught up, so I ended the kiss.

"We can't do this," I said breathlessly.

"Why not?" Angel wondered.

"We haven't discussed our marriage or how your soul affects it," I pointed out.

"You're right," Angel agreed. "If we have sex, I could risk losing my soul again."

I nodded in agreement and asked, "What are we going to do?"

"I don't know," Angel replied.

* * *

**A/N:** Ok, I need some help because I'm suffering from writer's block. I would love to hear any of the readers' suggestions or comments, so please give me some ideas. I love input from the readers.


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